For what it's worth, a neighbor of mine (Arlington, VA) recently paid $1500 to replace one of those.

It's about right... power vent heaters are expensive. Consider a gas tankless instead.

How would these units compare to Sears' heaters?

Not sure if it's still true, but my 4 year old Sears 40 gal powervent was made by AO Smith.

Thanks for the responses

Re: Tanksless: I prefer the tank because (a) we get a lot of power failures here, and the stored water keeps us OK for a while; and (b) Probably when I consider re-venting, size of gas line, and other items the installation cost would get pretty high, and (c) from figures I have seen on an ad hoc basis (did not systematically compare) the cost advantage is not always there and when it is there, the benefits have been exagerated by many folks.

Re: Sears. Sears has only one current powervent model, and it appears to be made by Rheem (not 100% sure, but fairly certain). Looks like a decent unit, except R is only 8 (many others are 16+). $800 (50 gallon) on their web site. I do not know what they charge for installation. I have not yet completely ruled out Sears.

I wish there were some easier way to compare specs, cost, and quality information on this product.

I'll make this last pitch for a tanlless and then let it go:

I was in the market for a powervent initially, the tankless ended up making more sense and costing less.

If you are using PVC to vent your powervent now, consider a condensing tankless such as the Navien. Then all you have to consider is the gas supply.

A standard tankless will use about 38% less gas than your powervent to heat the same water. A condensing tankless will save even more. Look up the energy factor on all three types of heaters for a valid comparison.

The 30% tax credit would sweeten the deal a lot. It would pay for almost 1/3 of the total cost.

Jake, thanks. Your dedication has convinced me to look into it, if I get time in the next couple of days. I still have some time, as my unit is not leaking and I can nurse it along.

Since you have actual consumer's experience, I cannot resist a few questions:

Has it ever malfunctioned? and if it does are there any warning signs? How often?

What made you go for the Navien versus Rheem, Ranai (Spell?) or others?

Is it difficult to get qualified technicians to repair/maintain? (Most plumbers in my area (DC suburbs) do not want to diagnose and repair my tank water heater. They almost autmoatically conclude that I need a new one. One gue didn't even open the door and started taking out brochurs for a new one.

I have a Rheem which is the same as a Rudd and Paloma... at least it was when I purchased mine.

I have had it almost 3 years with no problems. I would put the Rheem, Rannai and Takagi as comparable units, with some specific things that may recommend one over the other - such as one brand might have a size that is a closer match to what you need, for example. I would stay away from Bosch units. They made a disastrous Aquastar unit and that taints my perception of their entire line.

The Navien is a little different, in that it uses a stainless steel heat exchanger and lower operating temps that they claim causes less mineral buildup. They also have a line of units that include a built-in circ pump and small buffer tank (all of the units ending with "A"). I also believe that all of their units are condensing units. Some of the other brands offer condensing units as well.

A condensing unit that vents via PVC will allow you to vent the unit using inexpensive materials instead of stainless steel. The Navien units have an energy factor of 0.95 - 0.98 (condensing) a standard tankless will have an energy factor of 0.82-0.85 while a Rheem power vent tank has an energy factor of 0.57 -0.64. These energy factors are just the ones that I looked up, however they are representative. As you can see, a typical gas tank heater wastes about 35-40% of the energy that goes into them.

Tankless also include options like a remote control - so you can set your shower temp to exactly what you want and not worry about scalding, for example.

The warranty on these things is pretty good (Navien is 15 years heat exchanger and 5 years everything else). Keep in mind that these things are pretty small (mine was 60 pounds and came in a box, UPS.) You can always take it off the wall and drop it off somewhere to be repaired if need be.

They should be delimed with vinegar every couple years - and that's something you can hire done or learn to do yourself. The good news is that you can do it at all. Tank heaters don't lend themselves to cleaning very easily.

I'm very happy with mine - I like everything about it, the size, the energy savings, the endless hot water. It does take about 2 seconds longer to get hot water, however. If I had it to do again, I would look at a condensing unit from Navien (I say that without knowing the price).

Hey shw001,

I just came across a series of reviews of Navien water heaters by professional plumbers. It looks like they have some systemic issues - that are common with new products- but nonetheless would indicate that you should avoid them until they get them worked out.

The Rheem, Rannai, Takagi and Noritz brands are all heaters that have been around for a while and have a good reputation. Even if a condensing unit doesn't make financial sense, a standard tankless should be in your mix of heaters to consider.

I watch all the tankless posts, and also find problems with all, tend to believe some of it is install, some application, some equipment and the rest mud slinging by involved parties that like to spread negative propaganda.

If Navien sold approximately 100,000 units in the last 1.5 years for instance, 12 negative posts I feel doesn't constitute problems in my opinion.

Along that line if HD read all the problems about Bosch, why would they sell them?

I hear you ZL, below is the link and you tell me what you think.

I'd like for Navien to do well, they have a good approach.

And as both of us have said, many of problems with tankless units are poor selection/install - with the notable exception of Bosch units.

However, it really looks like Navien has some teething problems that they will hopefully get fixed. These aren't homeowners, these are pros who have installed 100's of units and are reporting bad circuit boards, flow sensors, etc.

Here is a link that might be useful: Navien Teething problems

Yes I have followed those. If you look at the actual dates, the problems date back 8+ months. I was one that experienced the bad flow sensor in a home. It was that the shaft corroded (Nickel) now its stainless and no problems.

I can share with you unlike the other heaters that are flash heaters with a bypass, the Navien have 100% flow through the heat exchanger. If gas is not enough and piping is not correct, the unit has trouble. Unlike the Jap units that will give less hot water (many complaints on this all over) but still work at a reduced capacity.

Navien being the only premix burner, (others are lean/rich) there is some setup on occasion to do. Most plumbers believe that you just hang um, pipe um, and plug it in. In that case from experience, the Navien is not for them.